Clearing the Cottage

December was a good time for getting rid of the rubbish in the cottage, taking down the rotten beams and the breeze-block internal partitions and removing the too heavy chimney and chimney breast from the fragile west facing wall.

The bonfires went on for days.

We were able to do all this without planning consent, so that we at least felt something was under way.

The builders also worked round the top of the walls, clearing the weeds and taking off the genoise eaves, saving what they could for re-use. Ours is a fairly simple cottage and only has one layer of genoise. To have a genoise at all denotes a certain status, grander town houses sometimes have two, making a statement about their affluence.

Working on top of the walls has shown us that they are in pretty good condition. We feared that as the roof had been off for several years we would find water penetration, but our fears are unfounded.

It is strange to see the cottage clean and tidy, stripped back to its four external walls. Suddenly, its sharp angles stand out from the surrounding countryside.